Apparatus for separating bone, slate, &amp;c., from coal.



No. 734.219- PATENTBD JULY 21, 1903. G. H. BOARDMAN & J. W. MISKELL. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING BONE, SLATE, &c., FROM GOAL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT..30, 1902.

3 SHEETEF-SHHET 1.

N0 MODEL.

cm? Z55 PATENTED JULY 21, 1903. c. H. BOARDMAN & J. W. MISKE-LL. APPARATUS FOR SEBARATI-NGBONE, SLATE, &o-, FROM GOAL.

APPLIOATID'N FILED SEPT. 30, 1902.

3 SHEETS SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

[)arZesfL 3m v 670% Gttouugo TME NORRIS vzrzns ca, mom-1.1mm, vusnmmor], 0.1:.

No. 734,219. PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

' c. H. BOARDMAN & J. w. MISKELL. I

APPARATUS FOR SBPARATING BONE, SLATE, &0., FROM GOAL. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1902.

no MODEL.

. 4 fiarza sflflaaziman i atbm126 w hORms PETER? cov vnomumo, WASHINGYDN, n. c

are. 7534,2'19.

UN T D STATE PATENT iatented d'uly 21, 1903.

OFFICE.

CHARLES H. BOARDMAN AND 'JoHnw. MIsKELL, OF vIv AN, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO THEOPHILUS KING, or

QUINCY, MAss-AcHUsET'Ts- APPARATUS-FOR-SEPARIAIING BeNE, SLATE, &c., .FYROM COAL;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N5. 734,219, dated July 21, 1903 application filed September so, 1902. semi No. 125.344. (Nb model.)

county of McDowell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Bone, Slate, &c., from Goal, of which the fol: lowing isa specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the apparatus for separating bone, slate, and the like from coal.

The invention has for its'object the production of a simple and inexpensive apparatus by means of which the coal maybe conveyed from the mine in such manner that the bone, slate, and other impuritiesare automatically brought to View, whereby they may be readily removed and'kept separate from the good coal without interruption to the delivery of the latter to the place of storage.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partlyin section, of the hopper and smoothing-conveyer. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. of the delivery end of the apparatus. is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring tothe drawings, designates a.

pit or well located, preferably, near the mouth of the mineand at a point where the minecars can'conveniently dump their contents into the hopper 11, which is supported by a framework F, of any suitable structure. Said hopper is forme'dwith upper converging walls A, preferably of timber, and a lower rectangular chute B, preferably made of steel or other suitable metal. The latter is support ed by angle-irons 12, secured to timbers 13 of the framework F.

Resting upon timbers 14 are a series of horizontal angle-bars 15, which serve to brace opposite vertical angle-bars O, which are supported by the side walls of the chute B. The vertical angle-bars serve as supports for the parallel runways 16 of a smoothingcon- .any suitable source. Fig. 3 is aside ele'vatio'nf having convergiu g branches, as shown in Fig.

Fig. 4'

veyer 17, working below the lower edge of the chute B and corresponding in width with the latter. The conveyer 17 passes around pulleys 18 19, the former being provided with a suitable tension device 20.

On the shaft 21 of pulley 19 is keyed a pulley 22, which is connected bya belt 23 with a second pulley 24:, keyed on a shaft 25, mounted at the bottom of framework F. The runways 26 of the elevating-conveyer are mounted on inclined timbers running from the bottom of framework F to the delivering end of the apparatus, where are located the platforms 27 for the pickers, said platforms being preferably located at the top of the tipple or other storage-receptacle. An ordinary beaded conveyer 28, provided with transverse spaced-apart bars D, is passed around drums 29, keyed to shafts and 30, respectively, a suitable tension device being provided, as shown. On the shaft 30 is keyed a gear-wheel 31, which meshes with a suitable pinion 32 on a shaft 33, said shaft being in turn rotated by suitable gearing 34, operated by a pulley 35, receiving power from A chute 36, preferably 4, is supported at any suitable point, preferably above the conveyer, and designed to conduct the bone, slate, and other refuse to some convenient storage-receptacle.

In practice the smoothing and elevating conveyers are so geared that the latter will move at a considerably higher rate of speed than the former.. The coal as it is mined is dumped into the hopper 11 and is guided by chute B to the conveyer 17. The latter being geared to a comparatively slow speed is intended to level off the coal as it is dumped and deliver the same in minimum quantities to the elevating-conveyer 28, which conducts it to the tipple. picking-platforms are arranged intermediate of the receiving and delivery ends of the conveyer 28. The runways 26 of the latter are preferably curved to a horizontal plane to pass'above the plane of the platforms 27. By

It will be observed that the this means two workmen stationed on the platforms at X can readily detect the bone, slate, and other impurities as the material is brought up on the conveyer and throw them out into chute 36. It frequently happens, particularly in soft-coal districts, thata small quantity of bone will be embedded in alarge lump of coal, and in such instances the workmen on the picking-apron can retard the progress of said lump for a sufficient time to pick off the good coal, whereby the refuse can be thrown out with little or no waste.

The advantages of our invention are at once apparent. Under the old methods now in vogue the coal is usually conveyed direct to the tipple, and when it is desired to load a train for transportation several workmen, usually five or six, are placed in the car being loaded, the coal being delivered from the tipple in small quantities, usually from a half-ton to a ton at a time. These workmen then pick off the bone and slate and throw it out of the car, additional coal being fed as the work progresses. Thehighest average ever attained under this method is approximately five hundred tons in one day. By means of our improved apparatus we can dispense with the labor of from three to four men and handle from fifteen hundred to two thousand tons per day, and this with far less manual exertion. \Ve are also aware that it is common to separate slate, bone, &c., from coal by dumping the product from the mine on an inclined trough or telegraph, where the impurities are manually picked over as the coal slides down by gravitation, and also that it is old to convey coal and ore by means of belts from the mine to a chute and manually picking out the impurities in transit, and hence we do not make claim to such devices. On the contrary, our invention contemplates means for spreading out the coal in layers of predetermined quantities to prevent overlying of the pieces and means for causing said pieces to retain their relative positions while passing a given point at a predetermined speed, whereby the impurities may be manually removed without risk of tumbling or rolling lumps bruising or otherwise injuring the hands of the pickers. By means of our invention the coal is far more thoroughly cleaned of the refuse, owing to the fact that the conveyer-compartments contain but minimum quantities of coal, all of which is readily brought to view on the picking portion of the conveyer. In this way the refuse is not likely to be covered by the good coal, so as to be hidden from view, and being fed slowly and in a spread-out condition ample opportunity is given the operators to throw off the refuse without wasting good coal and without interruption to the delivery of the latter to the tipple and withoutliability ofhaving their work interrupted or their hands injured by tumbling or rollinglumps. A still further I advantage lies in the fact that coal for the market can be at once loaded into the cars from the tipple without being picked over, thereby avoiding the delays incident to the latter process. It will also be noted that by employing the refuse-chute the bone, &c., which .is usually employed in the making of coke can be directed to a suitable point of storage without further handling.

o claim as our invention- 1. An apparatus of the character described comprising a picking-conveyer; means for spreading the coal, bone, slate, &c., thereon in a layer of predetermined quantity to prevent overlying of the pieces, and means for causing the pieces to retain their relative positions while passing a given point to enable a picker to remove the bone, slate, and other impurities without interference by changes in position of some of the pieces, as set forth.

2. An apparatus for separating coal, comprising an elevating apparatus including a picking portion, and an apparatus for feeding coal to said elevating apparatus in predetermined quantities, said feeding and elevating apparatuses being geared to operate at predetermined relative speeds, as set forth.

3. An apparatus for separating coal, comprising a smoothing-conveyor, a hopper leading thereto, an elevating-conveyer coacting with said smoothing-conveyor, and a pickingapron intermediate of the ends of said elevating-conveyer, as set forth.

4. An apparatus for separating coal, comprising a smoothing-conveyer, a hopper leading thereto, an elevating-conveyer coacting with said smoothingconveyor, a pickingapron intermediate of the ends of said elevating-conveyer, and a refuse-chute located above said latter conveyor and leading from said picking-apron, as set forth.

5. An apparatus for separating coal, comprising a smoothing-conveyer, a hopper leading thereto, an elevating-conveyor coacting with said smoothing-conveyor, and a pickingapron intermediate of the ends of said elevating-conveyer, the runways of said latter conveyor being curved to a horizontal plane over said apron, as set forth.

6. An apparatus for separating coal, comprising a framework, a hopper supported thereby, a chute leading from said hopper, a smoothing-conveyer supported by said chute, and an elevating-conveyer coacting with said smoothing-conveyer and having a picking portion, as set forth.

7. An apparatus for separating coal comprising a hopper, a chute leading therefrom, runways supported by said chute, a smoothing-conveyer Working in said runways, and an elevating-conveyer coacting with said smoothing-conveyor and having a horizontal picking portion, as set forth;

8. An apparatus for separating coal, co n- In testimony whereof wehave aflixed our prising a hopper, a chute leading therefrom, signatures in presence of two witnesses. angle-irons secured to said chute,brace -bars CHARLES H BOARDMAN therefor, runways earned by said angle-irons, JOHN W MISKELL a smoothing-conveyor working in said runways, and an elevating-conveyer coacting l Witnesses:

with said slnoothing-conveyer and having a R. E. OHARA, picking portion, as set forth. S. M. TRAIL. 

